Oct. 12, 2002
FRESNO, Calif. - The San Diego State men's golf team lost its share of the second-round lead and fell behind team champion and host school Fresno State at the 17-team Fresno Lexus Golf Classic. Propelled by individual champion Nick Watney, the Bulldogs claimed their second straight Fresno Lexus Classic title with a six-over score of 870, two shots ahead of runner-up UTEP.
Propelled by a season-best 288 in the second round, the Aztecs, the top-ranked team in the field by Golfstat at No. 9, were tied for the 36-hole lead with UTEP. But the Aztecs shot a nine-over 297 in the final round while Watney, Golfweek's No. 2-ranked golfer, won his second straight individual title in his last home tournament en route to leading the Bulldogs from a third-place standing after the second round to the team title.
SDSU junior Mark Warman, who held a share of the second-round lead with Watney, recorded the Aztecs' best individual finish of the young season by tying for fifth place at 3-under 213. Senior Charlie Smith, playing as an individual, registered an even-par final round to finish at 1-under 215.
Next for the Aztecs was freshman Andrew Scott at 218, followed by seniors Brian Miller (223), John Lepak (223) and John Lieber (226).
The Aztecs' next tournament will be their own - the Barona Collegiate Cup, held Oct. 21-22 at the Barona Creek Golf Club in Lakeside, Calif.
Final scores with relation to par Oct. 12 at the Fresno Lexus Classic, played at the par-72, 6,847-yard San Joaquin Country Club in Fresno, Calif.
1. Fresno State 289-295-286-870 (+6)2. UTEP 294-286-292-872 (+8)San Diego State 292-288-297-877 (+13)
San Diego State IndividualsMark Warman 68-71-74-213 (-3)Charlie Smith* 73-70-72-215 (-1)Andrew Scott 218 (+2)Brian Miller 223 (+7)John Lepak 223 (+7)John Lieber 226 (+10*Competed as an individual